President Trump's call for the death penalty as punishment for homicides in Washington, D.C., isn't a simple ask.
The big picture: Though capital punishment remains legal in more than two dozen states, it's not used in D.C. So how the federal government would actually use it there remains complicated.
MAGA is outraged over President Trump's announcement that he'll allow 600,000 Chinese students to attend U.S. universities, which touches on several of the movement's most potent third rails.
Why it matters: Trump's base is perpetually wary of Beijing's influence in the U.S., obsessed with protecting American jobs from foreigners, and hostile toward what it sees as "woke" ideology in higher education.
The Federal Reserve on Tuesday said it would "abide by any court decision" that determines whether top official Lisa Cook can be removed by President Trump.
Why it matters: Cook confirmed that she would sue after Trump fired her, setting up an unprecedented legal battle over the limits of presidential power when it comes to the Fed.
The nonpartisan Democracy Defenders Fund has filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department over the agency's refusal to release documents from the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that mention President Trump and his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Why it matters: The DOJ has repeatedly resisted efforts to make all of the documents in its possession public, and the suit comes as Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell offered new insight into Epstein and Trump's relationship in recently released transcripts.
The Trump administration will seek the death penalty as punishment for homicides in Washington, D.C., President Trump said on Tuesday during the seventh cabinet meeting of the term.
The big picture: The president has asserted direct and sweeping control over Washington, D.C., in response to what he called a "crime epidemic."
President Trump's push to oust Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook tees up the first test of the limits the Supreme Court recently set for politically-motivated threats to fire officials on independent boards like the central bank.
Why it matters: Trump has been hammering the Fed for months to lower interest rates and has repeatedly threatened to fire Cook and Chair Jerome Powell to make that happen, threatening the bank's independence.
The Trump administration on Tuesday said it would pull more than $81 million in funding for 46 state and territorial programs aimed at preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections unless they remove mentions of what officials called "gender ideology."
Why it matters: It's a further escalation of the administration's crackdown on gender-affirming care that's included investigations of hospitals and new fights with blue states.
Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook will sue over President Trump's attempt to fire her from the central bank, per a statement from her law firm on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Trump's unprecedented action will be tested by the courts, setting up a legal battle that will define the guardrails around the central bank.
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit against all 15 federal judges in Maryland for slow-walking his immigration agenda.
Why it matters: The judge ruled that filing a lawsuit against judges instead of appealing was not the appropriate avenue for the Justice Department to challenge the judiciary.
First lady Melania Trump will lead a new White House-backed challenge that aims to inspire children and educators to become more comfortable with AI, she announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: With AI more commonplace in our lives, the Trump administration has implemented policies to help the U.S. win the AI race on a global scale over countries like China.
Senior Trump adviser Dan Scavino is taking over as director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office — an influential role charged with staffing the administration, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Scavino is Trump's longest-serving aide, having worked for the president since 2015, when Trump rode down an escalator in New York's Trump Tower and announced his first White House bid.
A Chinese trade official is due to visit the U.S. in coming days, but that will not be a prelude to future negotiations or a meeting of the countries' leaders, a source familiar with the negotiations tells Axios.
Why it matters: Talks between the world's two largest economies are in a delicate state. A tariff truce is holding, but pressure is increasing on both sides over issues ranging from tech to agriculture.
Top editors from Reuters and the Associated Press on Tuesday sent a joint letter to Israeli officials demanding a "clear explanation" for airstrikes on a Gaza hospital that killed five journalists on Monday.
Why it matters: The deaths underscore growing fears that Israel's Gaza campaign is endangering journalists at unprecedented levels, threatening global press freedom.
Why it matters: It's legally unclear if the president has that power. So Trump touched off a historic legal fight that threatens the central bank's political independence.
Vice President JD Vance will travel to La Crosse, Wisconsin, on Thursday to speak at a steel fabricating facility about the megabill's benefits for manufacturing, a source tells Axios.
Why it matters: Vance, who grew up in the Rust Belt, is promoting President Trump's economic wins at a time when workers and companies fear tariffs could produce headwinds.
To President Trump's many roles, formal and self-designated, add a new one to the list: chairman of all boards.
The big picture: The president has assumed a quasi-authority to orchestrate how the private sector operates, both broadly and down to the management and ownership of individual companies.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused Iran on Tuesday of orchestrating at least two antisemitic attacks on the country and said he's expelling the Iranian ambassador to Canberra as a result.
The big picture: Albanese said at a briefing that officials from Australia's spy agency had "credible intelligence" that Tehran likely directed more attacks in addition to the one in Sydney and the one in Melbourne last year.
President Trump said he had fired Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook on Monday, though the top Fed official later said she won't leave the post.
Why it matters: The firing is a legally dubious move that further threatens the central bank's political independence, one that might set up a legal battle in the months ahead.
Democratic Congress members responded with fury on Monday after President Trump said he's firing Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook.
Why it matters: Some lawmakers are calling on the federal judiciary to swiftly strike down Cook's ouster, arguing that the president has no legal basis for it.
President Trump during a summit Monday with South Korea's president at the White House hailed his "great relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and said he wanted to meet with him again later this year.
Why it matters: Longstanding U.S. ally Seoul and Pyongyang are still technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended without a peace treaty, though South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has sought to restore relations since being elected in June and has been rebuffed by the North.
President Trump signed an executive order Monday targeting the burning of the American flag, an act of political protest the Supreme Court has ruled is protected under the First Amendment.
The big picture: The order does not outright criminalize burning the American flag but directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to prioritize enforcement against cases of "flag desecration" where existing laws were violated.
